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Campus safety needs student support

When a Sunday morning stroll across campus reveals nothing but tranquility, it can be hard to imagine what is just down the hill.

As part of Peoria Police District 3, the areas surrounding Bradley have seen a 22 percent increase in aggravated assault/battery crimes during the first half of 2014 compared to the first half of 2013 according to the Monthly Crime and Statistics Report of July 2014.

During those same periods, total violent crimes rose by nine percent, while burglary rates remained steady, averaging just less than 10 per month.

In the past week alone, the Peoria Police Department’s CrimeView application showed two instances of property damage and one residential burglary within a single block of Callender Avenue, an area populated by students in off-campus houses.

There is a difference between strolling across Olin Quad and walking to a friend’s off-campus house. The fact remains that off-campus areas provide more dangerous environments than on-campus areas; however, our actions often do nothing to improve the situation.

How often do we walk through these areas absorbed in text message conversations?

Why do we laugh when we hear stories of friends wandering home from downtown or from Farmington in drunken stupors during the wee hours of the morning?

What means of defense would we have if someone approached us with negative intentions?

Thankfully, we have a lot of options. The Bradley University Police Department (BUPD) is paired with the university and area safety response departments to create the safest environment possible for all students.

But the Hilltop Safety Cruiser is only effective if students actually call it.

BUPD’s Vacant House Watch program only works if students take the five minutes to sign up for it.

And the pepper spray keychain our parents bought us only protects us if we actually carry it.

Others do their best to protect us from dangerous situations, but do we help ourselves?

We could be provided every safety resource there is, but we, as students, must be proactive.

Take the extra 30 seconds to lock your car door. Don’t leave your residence with your doors and windows wide open. If it’s dark out, don’t walk home with your face buried in your phone.

It’s all common sense. But if we don’t use that common sense to our advantage, these “crimes of opportunity” are going to continue because our disinterest in being proactive invites it.

So let’s cooperate with the efforts of all those trying to protect us.

Be smart. Stay alert. And don’t hesitate to use your resources.

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